Amritsar air most polluted in Punjab
Amritsar remained the most polluted city in Punjab during the week prior to Diwali. The city’s air quality index (AQI) ranged between “moderate” and “poor” category.
As per data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Amritsar district’s AQI for five days from October 26-30 remained 228, 310, 160, 185 and 185, respectively. On October 30 last year, the AQI in Amritsar was 195.
On October 27, when Amritsar’s AQI (310) dipped to the “very poor” category, other cities where air pollution is being monitored by the Punjab Pollution Control Board i.e. Ludhiana, Mandi Gobindgarh, Patiala, Jalandhar and Khanna recorded much better air quality. The AQI in these cities was 152, 219, 202, 157 and 136, respectively.
Deputy Commissioner Sakshi Sawney said higher pollution levels in Amritsar could be mainly due to the changing weather condition since very few incidents of stubble burning were reported in the district.
KK Gill, an expert with the agrometeorology department of the PAU, said as compared to districts like Ludhiana or Patiala, temperature in Amritsar was generally low due to its being a border district. “When the mercury drops, it leads to temperature inversion, a phenomenon where cold air gets trapped near the ground beneath a layer of warmer air, preventing pollutants from dispersing upward, hence higher pollution,” she added.
Karunesh Garg, Chief Engineer, Punjab Pollution Control Board, said in western Punjab (Pakistan), stubble burning was rampant at this time, which could be seen through satellite. “We have no control over that and air quality gets deteriorated if smoke from the neighbouring country blows into this side,” he said.
In contrast, Ludhiana recorded a lower AQI during October 26-30, which was 159, 152, 145, 127 and 133, respectively. On October 30 last year, the AQI in Ludhiana was higher at 250.
